


Ebb and Flow

by Emiline



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: Day At The Beach, F/F, Gentleness, Pre-Relationship, Unresolved Tension, respecting boundaries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-06-01 04:37:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15135254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emiline/pseuds/Emiline
Summary: Ada splashes around for a while, pure joy on her face, and Hecate is glad that Ada asked her to come. Ada is happy, and that makes Hecate happy. She can admit that much to herself, at least.Ada and Hecate go to the beach.Written for Week 3 of the Hackle Summer Trope Challenge: Trip to the Beach





	Ebb and Flow

The sand is damp and slightly abrasive beneath Hecate and Ada’s feet. Ada breathes deeply, turning her face into the salt spray. Hecate can practically see the tension easing out of Ada as she exhales, and Hecate thinks she has not looked this relaxed in months. They stand there, Ada watching the sea, Hecate watching Ada as gulls cry out overhead, and waves crash against the shore.

“Agatha never did like going to the seaside,” Ada says finally, reaching down and scooping up a handful of wet sand. “Not even when we were children. The ocean is too vast, too powerful, too wild. She’s always preferred those things that she can imagine having mastery over.”

Little clumps of sand squeeze their way between her fingers.

“It made her nervous, I think. But I’ve always thought there was something comforting in knowing that there is a force out there that is beyond anyone’s control. That as much as we strive to become masters of our environment, there are still elements that we will never be able to command.”

“Is that why you like Mildred Hubble?” 

“Hecate Hardbroom, Mildred Hubble is not an uncontrollable force of nature!”

“Are you certain?”

“You,” Ada responds with a mixture of fondness and exasperation, trying not to laugh, “are incorrigible. But I wouldn’t have you be any other way,” she adds, and there is a warmth to her voice that makes Hecate’s stomach flutter.

Ada reaches out and links her fingers with Hecate’s, and for a moment Hecate forgets to breathe. Hecate is suddenly aware, not only of the warmth and strength of Ada’s fingers entwined with hers, but how insignificant is the space between their bodies. She is conscious of just how badly she _wants_ Ada, and it frightens her.

Ada must see something in her face, because she steps back, deliberately and carefully giving Hecate room. She lets go of Hecate’s hand, and Hecate wraps her arms tightly around herself to prevent herself from snatching Ada’s hand back up.

The wind bites at the edges of her clothing, sneaking up her sleeves and swirling around her ankles. She opens her mouth to say something, anything to fill the silence that is seeping into the space between them, thick and impenetrable. Barely able to articulate to herself what just happened, she has no idea how to explain it to Ada. 

“It’s alright, Hecate,” Ada says with a gentleness that is almost more than Hecate can bear.

“Why-” Hecate begins but her mouth is as dry and rough as sandpaper, “Why are we here, Ada?”

It takes Ada such a long time to answer that Hecate is not sure she is going to answer at all. “I needed to get away for a little while. I needed to go somewhere that has not been touched by human chaos.” Ada says as they start to walk again. “And I did not want to be alone.”

“Why me?”

“There’s no one else I’d rather be with,” Ada replies simply, and Hecate feels a warmth, a good, gentle warmth this time. This is something she can manage. 

“I’m glad,” she replies finally, shyly. “I’m very fond of you too.”

“The water looks very pleasant,” Ada says after a while.

“Would you like to go in? I can amuse myself for a bit.”

“If you’re sure?”

“Of course.”

Hecate is relieved when Ada tucks her skirt up so that it falls to her knees, rather than changing into a swimsuit. It makes her feel less out of place, in her long-sleeved, long-necked, long-skirted dress. Ada had managed to convince her earlier to remove her shoes and stockings, to walk along in her bare feet, but that is all the deviation in dress Hecate can bear for today. 

Ada splashes around for a while, pure joy on her face, and Hecate is glad that Ada asked her to come. Ada is happy, and that makes Hecate happy. She can admit that much to herself, at least. Hecate sits down and runs her fingers through the sand. She finds a small piece of sea glass, in a rich frosted amber color, and rolls it on her palm.

Ada trots back, her face flushed, smiling broadly. 

“I haven’t had that much fun in months,” she says, sitting down next to Hecate. “Perhaps we should consider a beach outing for the students.”

“It might be fun for them, but it wouldn’t be for us.”

“Nonsense, nothing like spending time with frolicking children to release your inner child.”

“My inner child does not frolic,” Hecate says stiffly.

Ada leans over and pats Hecate’s arm. “Not yet, at least.”

Hecate raises her eyebrows and Ada laughs.

“Very well, I will concede we may not convince you to frolic. How would you feel about gamboling?”

“I believe, Miss Cackle,” Hecate responds lightly, “that you have got witches mixed up with lambs.”

“So I have.”

Hecate clears her throat. “I might be persuaded to, ah, amble.”

Ada’s eyes sparkle, and Hecate thinks she has not seen a lovelier sight.

“I will hold you to it, Miss Hardbroom, you can be sure of that. In fact, will you amble with me now?” She stands and offers her hand to Hecate to help her up. 

“As you wish,” Hecate responds a little recklessly. She brushes the sand off her dress.

Ada holds out her arm at an angle. “Shall we?”

Hecate wraps her hand around Ada’s arm, near the crook of her dimpled elbow. “We shall indeed.” She feels slightly giddy.

“Are you alright with this?” Ada checks, gesturing to where Hecate’s hand rests on her arm.

“Yes.”

Eventually they make their way into a small town not far from the shore. In a fit of gallantry, Hecate buys Ada an ice-cream cone and accepts a lemon ice lolly in return. They find a bench and sit with their sweets, watching the comings and goings of the town. 

“You’ve got a little ice-cream-,” Hecate gestures to the matching spot on her own cheek. She pulls out her handkerchief (her ordinary black cotton one, silk not being a very practical fabric) and gently swipes at Ada’s cheek. “There, all gone.” A beat later she flushes as she realizes what she has done. “I’m sorry Ada, I should have let you do that.”

“I don’t mind.”

Hecate shoves the handkerchief inelegantly down her sleeve. The sun is just starting to sink towards the horizon line. “I suppose we should return to the school,” she says with a tinge of regret, and then adds “assuming it’s still standing.”

“We have been gone one day, Hecate.”

“Exactly my point.”

Ada snorts and shakes her head. “You have such a suspicious mind.”

“Years of experience teaching,” Hecate replies darkly, “has not inspired me with confidence in the collective decision-making of schoolgirls.”

“We didn’t leave them completely unsupervised,” Ada points out. “Dimity ought to be able to handle them.”

“True, maybe she had them all run around outside until they were too tired to cause mischief.”

“That’s not quite what I meant,” Ada smiles, “but it’s theoretically possible, I suppose.”

For one dizzying moment Hecate images leaning over and pressing her lips against the corner of Ada’s smile.

“Hecate?”

“Nothing.” She stands up. “Let’s go back.”

They arrive back in Ada’s office to find Dimity, Gwen, and three extremely sheepish first years waiting for them.

“Mildred Hubble,” Hecate drawls. “Why am I not surprised?”

“It wasn’t her fault,” Maud protests.

“We didn’t know the south corridor was off limits,” Enid adds.

“And we fixed it!” Mildred says hurriedly. “Well, mostly. A lot of it anyway. You’d barely notice anything was wrong. And no one else is supposed to be going in the corridor so it’s probably fine, right? Until Miss Drill can figure out how to fix the rest of it?”

“I told you,” Hecate says.

Ada sighs. “I think we’d better have the story from the beginning. Perhaps, Mildred, you would like to go first.”


End file.
